Los Angeles, CA, WPH Press,11/8/19– The Los Angeles Athletic Club and the World Players of Handball are thrilled to present the 2019 LAAC R48 Pre Qualifier, December 13-14, 2019 at the LAAC, located at 431 W 7th St., Los Angeles, CA 90014. The winner of the 2019 LAAC R48 Pre Qualifier will receive a travel stipend to the 2019/20 R48 9 event of his/her choice Enter HERE

The Los Angeles Athletic Club features the best 4-Wall handball team in the U.S., evidenced by Team LAAC taking the inaugural Manning Cup team title in 2017. Team LAAC, comprised of top 10 R48 pros Mando Ortiz, Vic Perez, and team captain Marcos Chavez, ousted Team Canada, Team NYAC, and Team Tucson en route to the prestigious Manning Cup. Ortiz, Perez, and Chavez will serve as hosts of the 2019 LAAC R48 Pre Qualifier, lending their celebrity and status to what promises to be one of the strongest R48 Pre Qualifier fields of the season.

R48 #26 “True Grit” John Wayne Cortez earned his R48 pro status at the 2018 LAAC Pre Qualifier, overcoming the LAAC’s Dylan Hernandez in a thrilling three-game classic. Cortez will be aiming to defend his title this December but will have to contend with the top stars on the on the west coast to repeat.

“We are very proud to represent the LAAC and we are excited to host our third R48 Pre Qualifier this December,” stated LAAC team captain and head coach Marcos Chavez. “There is a lot of talent in SoCal and beyond and we’re excited to showcase it and give the players a chance to earn a R48 trip.”

The winner of the 2019 LAAC R48 Pre Qualifier will earn a travel stipend to the 2019/20 R48 9 event of his choice If the 2019 LAAC R48 Pre Qualifier champion is unable to attend a Race 4 Eight event during this Race season, the finalist will be awarded with the R48 travel stipend. Per WPH R48 Pre-Qualifier rules, if two or more players ranked inside the R48 top 25 enter the 2019 LAAC R48 Pre Qualifier, the winner will receive direct entry into the 2019/20 R48 event of his/her choice.

WPH RACE 4 EIGHT: The World Players of Handball’s 2019/20 Race 4 Eight 9 Powered by ESPN will feature R48 stops in Georgia, Arizona, Montana, Pennsylvania, and New York, all culminating with The Player’s Championship in Utah in May of 2020. Similar to NASCAR’s Nextel Cup and the FedEx PGA Playoffs, players earn points in the Race 4 Eight’s regular season stops to qualify for the season-ending Player’s Championship and bonus prizes.

For more information on the WPH Race 4 Eight, please contact World Players of Handball Executive Director David Vincent at dave.vincent@wphlive.tv or World Players of Handball Development Director David Fink at david.fink@wphlive.tv. For more information on the World Players of Handball, please visit wphlive.tv